Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce impress in bleak dystopian thriller The Rover

Robert Pattinson plays dim-witted Rey in The Rover (Picture: AP Photo/Cannes Film Festival)

‘You really must love that car, darling,’ a woman purrs to Guy Pearce’s Eric in David Michôd’s highly anticipated follow-up to his debut Animal Kingdom.

His vehicle’s been stolen by a couple of criminals on the run, one of whom, Henry (Scott McNairy), has left his younger brother Rey (Robert Pattinson) behind.

Eric gives chase across the dusty Australian outback and when Rey catches up with him, he forces him to take him to find his brother, sparking a chain of bloody events.

This is ten years after ‘the collapse’. It keeps it vague as to what exactly has gone wrong but Australia is now a place where the US dollar is the main currency, inflation has gone crazy, China’s influence has grown even stronger and dogs are stolen for food.

Guy Pearce goes on the search for his car in The Rover (Picture: AP Photo/Cannes Film Festival)

The landscape in Michôd’s dystopian road film is arid and desolate; all burnt out grass, dilapidated buildings and corpses hanging from crucifixes.

He directs his story, co-written with actor Joel Edgerton, with meticulous visual flair, crafting some beautifully composed shots. The violence comes in short, sharp bursts puncturing the quiet air of despair.

The ever watchable Pearce is tremendous as a haunted man, every dirt-streaked line of his bearded face – fixed grimly in steely determination – whispering of the unspoken burden of the past.

Up against Pearce, Pattinson steps up his game and acquits himself admirably. He plays tic-laden Rey from the American South, complete with hillbilly accent, with wide-eyed, dim-witted naivety.

The Rover is the second film from Animal Kingdom director David Michod (Picture: AP Photo/Cannes Film Festival)

As Pattinson continues to do his utmost to shy away from his heartthrob status, it’s a huge departure from anything he’s done before and he gives it his all in the best performance of his career so far.

The uneasy relationship that builds between the two is a spark of humanity in a barren wasteland, where brutality and lawlessness reign supreme, the beating heart of this sparse, nihilistic drama.

As a mood piece, The Rover is fantastic. Helped along by Antony Partos’ evocative score, it’s The Road meets Of Mice and Men with shades of Mad Max but it moves along at a methodical pace and the pay-off when it comes feels underwhelming.

But even though its emotional impact is muted, it’s still a wonderfully atmospheric ride.

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